Here's everything you need to know about the world of television for Monday, March 4th, 2024.
AS I'VE SAID BEFORE, HOLLYWOOD ISN'T GOING TO BE ABLE TO DODGE THE CULTURE WARS
When the Walt Disney Company found itself in a battle with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis over its opposition to the so-called "Don't Say Gay" law, I warned that despite the hopes of every Hollywood executive, the industry wasn't going to be able to dodge the upcoming culture wars:
It's the "stay quiet or I'll shoot this dog" approach to politics. Conservatives in Florida were acting not out of real outrage or even practical political machinations - the bill was already law before Gov. DeSantis pushed the state legislature to revoke Disney's special tax district. And there certainly wasn't any factual reason to begin referring to Disney World employees as "groomers" or pedophiles. This is all about fear. It's about making the price of supporting diversity so high that corporations will be scared off from doing anything but the occasional Black History month campaign.
The problem with cowering to this mob is that recent American history has shown us that winning a battle isn't enough. Like hostage-takers everywhere, the cultural purists of the conservative movement see this as a literal do-or-die cultural war. And once you win one battle, you don't celebrate. You move on to your next target. Republican legislatures move to restrict abortions, then move on to birth control. And now there are Republican legislators arguing that frozen embryos should be considered people and should be "adopted" and brought to term, even if the donors disagree.
Moves against trans athletes in high school quickly evolved into anti-trans laws, then laws that targeted same-sex couples. It didn't take long for concerns that schools were teaching Critical Race Theory to evolve into complaints that teaching about Rosa Parks made white students "feel bad" and that any book for children that portrays same sex parents wasn't appropriate for school libraries.
Corporate executives might see "say no evil" as the economically prudent response to what the state of Florida has rained down on Disney. But media companies can't save themselves by hiding and declining to engage with critics.
And the first shoe in the Hollywood Culture Wars dropped today, when a script coordinator on the primetime series SEAL Team sued CBS and parent company Paramount Global, accusing them of allegedly carrying diversity quotas that discriminate against straight white men:
‘Defendants failed to hire or promote Mr. Beneker due to his race, sex, and heterosexuality,” the complaint from longtime SEAL Team script coordinator and freelance scribe Ben Beneker reads. Beneker says in the complaint seeking a jury trial that he has suffered by not being part of “the favored hiring groups; that is, they were nonwhite, LGBTQ, or female,” and the “illegal policy” of increasingly attacked diversity, equity and inclusion measures.
The suit was filed by former Trump White House advisor Stephen Miller’s nonprofit America First Legal Foundation, which has filed similar suits in other industries, all seeking to eliminate any race or gender-based hiring initiatives.
It's tempting to shrug this lawsuit off, but Hollywood executives do that at their peril. Miller's organization has deep pockets and strong connections to conservative media outlets. No matter what happens in November's elections, Miller is likely to continue coming directly at Hollywood companies, seeking to eliminate everything from programs designed to increase participation of women and other underrepresented groups, to corporate governance initiatives the group may see as "too woke."
Hollywood can't dodge the upcoming culture wars. They can only minimize the impact.
WHY DO I HAVE THIS FEAR THE CAST WILL INCLUDE KEN JEONG?
Fox announced a two-hour special called The Real Full Monty, which will show male celebrities training for a final reveal in front of a live audience, similar to the movie of the same name. Here's the official logline:
During the two-hour special, The Real Full Monty’s male celebrity talent will train and rehearse for the most revealing performance of their careers, culminating with a big strip-tease dance in front of a live audience. Leading up the final disrobing, the men will push their limits of comfortability, modesty, and brotherhood with a series of rehearsals and experiences, both private and public, designed to build confidence and remove them far from their comfort zone and strengthen their bond as a group. Along the way, each of the celebrities will share their personal stories of how cancer has impacted their lives.
This show has been a pretty successful idea in the U.K., France and The Netherlands. I'm not sure how it will do here (and casting will have a *lot* to do with that), but the fact it will be a fundraiser for prostate and testicular cancer testing and research helps.
THE INFOGRAPHIC OF THE DAY
It can be challenging to find good editorial coverage of the streaming industry is MENA (Middle East/North Africa), which is why I was happy to discover Yann Colletter's The Streaming Lab, which describes itself as a weekly newsletter exploring the trends that matter to streaming professionals in the MENA region.
There are always a couple of points I find enlightening and one of the ones from today's newsletter was this infographic, which compares the content overlap in Netflix Top 10 lists so far in 2024. The chart below looks at the Top 10 lists in Saudi Arabia, The UAE and Egypt, and calculated the percentage of overlap with Netflix's Top 10 in the US for the same timeframe:
He also makes a case for some of the same points I have made in this newsletter in recent months:
My key takeaway from this analysis is the preference for local Arabic content among Netflix users in Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Egypt, despite the availability of American TV series. Local productions like AlRawabi School for Girls (Jordan), It's OK (Lebanon), and The Deep State (Kuwait) have made a significant impact into the Top 10 lists in these countries.
While only a few of these local series have reached the Global Top 10, I believe we'll see more of them achieving international success in the coming months/years.
It's also fascinating to see that content from India, South Korea or even Japan has made its way into the Top 10 in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt. This highlights the diverse audience demographics in these countries and their interest in content beyond North American or European offerings.
FOX ANNOUNCES SUMMER PREMIERE DATES
Earlier today, Fox announced return and premiere dates for the summer 2024 slate of original programming. Here is a rundown of the premiere dates:
Thursday, May 16th:
Don't Forget The Lyrics Season Three Premiere
Wednesday, May 22nd:
Gordon Ramsay's Food Stars Season Two Premiere
Tuesday, May 28th:
Beat Shazam Season Seven Premiere
The Quiz With Balls Series Premiere
Wednesday, May 29th:
Masterchef: Generations Season Fourteen Premiere
The network also ordered a third season of Crime Scene Kitchen, which will premiere this summer.
FEEL FREE TO MAKE UP YOUR OWN JOKES
Proving there is a web site for everything, the editorial mission of SportsLogos.net is apparent from the name. They cover all things in the sports logo world, including this new logo design for the Danville Dairy Daddies, who will play in the collegiate summer level Old North State League.
And if you don't think this story has TV angle, well, then you are wrong:
While creating the character, Simon had one of pop culture’s smoothest talkers in mind: Joey Tribiani of the show Friends.
“How you doing?” asked Dan Simon of Studio Simon, in his best Joey voice. “The only difference is that I would like to think maybe this Dairy Daddy is a little smarter than Joey.”
There is also Dairy Daddies merchandise available and it is...something else:
ODDS AND SODS
* The nightly series E! News, which is optimistically described in a press release as the "venerable nightly entertainment news show," has a new co-host. Keltie Knight joined the show as co-anchor tonight, opposite Justin Sylvester.
* And speaking of Fox, in a move that seems designed to answer the question "what would make Rick even less interested in watching the show," the network announced today that Lisa Vanderpump is joining season two of Gordon Ramsay's Food Stars.
* Christian Kane has signed on to reprise his role as Jacob Stone in the upcoming CW spin-off series The Librarians: The Next Chapter.
TWEET OF THE DAY
I don't usually spotlight my own tweets, but this one clearly defines my attitude towards current WBD management in less than 140 words:
WHAT'S NEW TONIGHT AND TOMORROW
MONDAY, MARCH 4TH:
* Catch Me A Killer Series Premiere (Britbox)
* Hot Wheels Let's Race Series Premiere (Netflix)
* MasterChef Junior Season Nine Premiere (Fox)
* Queens Series Premiere (NatGeo)
* Rock The Block Season Premiere (HGTV)
* Seeking Sister Wife Season Premiere (TLC)
* So You Think You Can Dance Season Premiere (Fox)
* Spring Baking Championship Season Premiere (Food)
TUESDAY, MARCH 5TH:
* Alert: Missing Persons Unit Season Premiere (Fox)
* Alice Nevers Season Six Premiere (MHz Choice)
* A Revolution On Canvas (HBO)
* Bail Jumpers Series Premiere (Investigation Discovery)
* Hannah Gadsby's Gender Agenda (Netflix)
* Port Protection Alaska Season Premiere (NatGeo)
* The Cleaning Lady Season Premiere (Fox)
SEE YOU ON TUESDAY!